Maxis's Journal
by Maxis the Mercenary
Summary: I have no idea how I got to Zenith. Or what I'm doing, but I will tell you what I can. Self-insert. Paralogues might be included. M stands for safety.
1. The Beginning

I was lying in bed one day when I felt myself sinking through my bed. It was like the possibility that all of my molecules lined up perfectly with the beds molecules, but I went through my bed and into another world. There was a bright flash of golden light and I found myself standing face to face with an axe-wielding, redheaded girl.

"Oooh! You're here? Then the ritual actually worked? Ahem… Oh Great Hero from another world! Thou hast come so far to fulfill your role in our legend! For our kingdom now stands on the very brink of ruin, and thou… And thou… Hold on. Are you really our Great Hero? You don't look like the thee-and-thou type," she said. She looked amazed yet confused, as was I.

"What just happened? Where am I? How did I get here?"

"What's that? You want to know where you are? And how you got here?"

"Metal gear," I said, mocking her with my best Solid Snake impression. "Can I get some answers, please?"

"Fair enough. You're in--"

"FOUND YOU!"

"Drat! How did one of those Emblians get here already? Stand back! I'll take care of him somehow!"

"Well, you've got an axe maybe try swinging it," I muttered as she went to fight. I watched her battle with such ferocity. Seeing the other man's blood spilled on her axe was sickening and frightening, but I just couldn't look away. I looked around trying to figure out where I was. There were hardly any buildings in view and a few scattered trees. I saw that the ground beneath me was stone and carved into an elegant pattern. I also found that my clothes were different, redesigned to be from the dark ages. The most obvious difference was that instead of my bath robe I had on a white cloak with a pattern made seemingly of thin gold. It seemed to match what the redheaded girl's chainmail armor that she wore. There were also golden pockets just like on my robe. "Not too bad," I muttered to myself. "I could wear this for a while. Wait, is this… the dark ages? It can't be!" I turned to see that the redheaded girl was coming back. Her axe had smudged blood on it and her forehead had caught some flecks too.

"Whew! We took care of him! My name's Anna. I'm the commander of the Order of Heroes."

"…Riiight. Well… uh… nice to me you, Anna. My name's… Maxis. Hold on, what's the… Order of Heroes?"

"We believe that Heroes should live free. Our enemies, however, enslave them -- the fiends. This realm has gateways to the worlds where Heroes come from. Have you heard of the World of Awakening? How about the World of Birthright? Or the World of Conquest?"

"I think I may have… but then that would mean… no, nevermind. Please, continue."

"There are so many more! The Emblian Empire invades those worlds and binds their Heroes to service. We fight for their freedom! That soldier was from the Emblian Empire, which will soon invade our neighboring kingdom Askr."

"Askr, huh? But why am I here?"

"I was desperate for help. I performed a summoning ceremony. And you just appeared out of nowhere. Lucky us! But there's no time to rest. We have to act fast if we're going to save our kingdom!"

"Well how can I help?"

"Come on, I'll explain once we get to the outskirts of Askr." She began sprinting past me and motioned for me to follow. We ran for what seemed like ages until we stopped on a hill.

After managing to catch my breath I asked Anna, "Alright, so now what."

"First things first. I summoned you here with the divine Breidablik," she held up an oddly shaped handgun that was colored similarly to our clothing.

"Breidablik?"

"That's the name of this relic I've brought. It fires something out of it, according to legend, but Breildabrik doesn't look like any bow I've ever seen. The legend also calls it "the true key", which if raised high, will summon the Great Hero who can fire it. That's what I did. And now you're here. So it's all yours now.

"Breidablik," I muttered. "Strange name." As soon as this weapon touched my hands it started glowing softly.

"Hopefully you can figure out how to--"

"THERE SHE IS! GET HER," someone cryed.

"Drat. More of those Emblian soldiers. I can't defeat them all by myself, and you're not equipped to help me. You run while I hold them off. Take Breidablik and get out of here, Maxis!"

I knew if I could figure out what Breidablik did then Anna might live. "Well, it's a gun, so point and shoot." I raised the weapon towards the enemy, braced myself for the shot, and pulled the trigger. There was a flash of light.

"What's that?! That bright light, coming from…" Just then a man holding a bow appeared before our very eyes.

"I am Virion, the finest archer of the fairest realms. Delighted to be of service," he said with a bow. He looked older than Anna and I. More royal-esque, too. Though his clothes didn't match ours or even his posture.

"How'd you do that? You summoned a Hero, Maxis! You just picked up Breidablik, and you're already able to use it! But there's no time to chat now! This Virion and I need to get fighting," Anna cried. She grabbed Virion by the wrist and dragged towards the battle to come. Vision's arrows flew with seemingly impossible accuracy. I watched as they appeared in the Emblian's chests, arms, and legs. Anna was fighting with newfound vigour, striking blindingly fast and without mercy. Finally one soldier stood shaking in fear. Arrows sprouted from his knee and shoulder. Anna rushed in and split his head with her axe. His blood spilled on the grass and the battle was over. "We won! And it's all thanks to you, Maxis."

"Well, I didn't really do much," I told her, but she wasn't listening. Anna was too amazed to stop talking.

"Why, none of us in the Order of Heroes can actually summon these Heroes. Ha! I never doubted for a second that you were the Great Hero. You're the one who will save our kingdom. Our order is small, Maxis, but welcome to our ranks." She put out her hand and I gladly shook it.

"Thanks, Anna. So what do you need me to do?"

"Please, help us find more Heroes to assist us. Now that you're here, I just know that we'll win our fight against the empire, Maxis," Anna said with a huge grin.


	2. The Siblings

Anna, Virion, and I walked for what seemed like ages. "My legs hurt," I whined. "How much further do we have to go, Anna?"

"Complaining does nothing to help your cause, Maxis." Virion shot me a dirty look.

"Well your legs hurt, don't th--"

"Would you two please shut up?" Anna locked eyes with each of us. If looks could kill… "We're not going to ma--"

"Commander Anna," a young man's voice called. "You're alright! Wait, who is this with you? Could it be…?"

"Hi," I said with a smile and a wave.

"It is, Prince Alfonse! The legend is true. I raised Breidablik, and then Maxis appeared! Our Great Hero is here… and can use the divine weapon! As for what Breidablik shoots? It's truly wonderful. It fires Heroes right out of it!"

"Unbelievable," Alfonse muttered. "So you're our Great Hero, come to us from another world, Maxis. I am Alfonse, Prince of Askr, and member of the Order of Heroes. A pleasure to meet you." He put out his hand and I shook it firmly. Alfonse had blue hair but I knew it couldn't have been dyed. He carried a sword at his side and a shield on his back, it was shaped like what must have been the Askrian family crest. "I'm sorry to ask this of you so soon after we've met, but I have need of your help."

"Sure, name your request," I replied.

"Our order is devoted to fighting the Emblian Empire, which invades worlds where Heroes are from."

"Right. Anna gave me the gist."

"One of these is the World of Mystery. I have dire news. The empire has newly taken over that world."

"What's our job, then?"

"We need to make our way to the World of Mystery to free it! And, Commander Anna, there's one more thing. I spotted someone odd with the soldiers near here. A strange man. Not an imperial soldier. Nor a Hero from the World of Mystery now under their control."

Anna furrowed her brow and asked, "A strange man, you say? Did he seem allied with the Emblian Empire?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him before. He wears a mask and keeps his face secret even from them. But now, we must rush into battle. Soldiers approach!"

This fight, like the others, was over before it began. Virion shot at the soldier carrying a sword. One arrow into the thigh, another in the gut. He fell dead within a few seconds. Anna intercepted a blow from the lance holder, then swung her axe overhead. The lancer tried to parry it by holding up his lance perpendicular to the blade, but his weapon was split in two Anna's. I looked away before the soldier was hit at Alfonse. He was attacking a burly man holding an axe. The axe wielder swung at Alfonse in a backhand motion. Alfonse held up his shield and the other man's weapon bounced off of it harmlessly. Alfonse stepped forward and pushed his sword into the enemy's abdomin and he fell bleeding out. The man seemed to tell Alfonse something as he lay there dying, then Alfonse lifted his sword over his head. As he began swinging it downward, I looked away towards the horizon behind me. I still needed to get used to all the violence happening around me. I sat down in the grass and waited for the others come back. When they got here they walked right past me. I turned around to see what they were doing, then I noticed for the first time, the masked man behind not even ten yards behind me. His clothes were slightly similar to ours but his were black instead of white. He stood there staring at us without expression.

"Who are you, stranger," Anna demanded. She turned to Alfonse and said, "Alfonse, this must be the masked man you saw!"

"You," Alfonse shouted. Tell us-are you a soldier in the Emblian Empire? If so, then you stand on the side of evil. The empire shouldn't be entering the worlds of Heroes-let alone conquering them!"

The mysterious man turned to Alfonse and said, "Oh really? And I suppose you want us to close the gateways too? Hmpf. In your dreams." The mysterious man then turned to leave.

"How dare you," Alfonse barked. "Where are you going? Get back here and answer for yourself!" Alfonse ran after the mysterious man, but he seemed to have disappeared into thin air. "Damn fellow. He's gone."

Anna turned to me and said, "Those gateways he mentioned, Maxis… They connect our world to all those where the Heroes live. The royalty of the Askran Kingdom, like Alfonse, have the ability to open these gateways."

"And the royalty of the Emblian Empire are able to close the gateways," Alfonse said. "Long ago, our two families worked in harmony to open and close these ways to other worlds. But then the Embla began using its power for evil, leaving all of the gates open. The empire began invading those worlds. We cannot slam the gates shut. Only they can."

"We can fight them, however," Anna said. "That's why we Askrans formed the Order of Heroes-to stop the Emblians. Now, let's hurry to the World of Mystery. Alfonse… your sister has been on a scouting mission. I fear she may be in danger."

"Ugh! More walking," I groaned. Nobody cared, but I didn't care, either. I was going to annoy them a lot, but I wasn't going to stop.

We walked and walked and walked. I kept my head down hoping time would go by faster. Finally we stopped at the summoning grounds. "Why are we here again," I asked.

"See those large arches? The gateways are under those," Alfonse told me.

"Oh, so that's what the portals were for!"

Anna turned around to face us and said, "Less talking, more walking! We still have a job to do! Come on! Into the portal, everyone! Time is money!"

Alfonse stepped in calmly, then Virion cautiously. I hesitated before the large gateway. I reached my hand out and felt nothing on the other side. I poked my head through and saw another beautiful landscape. "Incredible… I'll have to take pictures next time," I muttered to myself.

"Alright, now to f--" Anna was interrupted by a blonde girl wearing armor similar to Alfonse's and wielding a lance.

"Commander Anna! Brother," she called out. "What has taken you so long to get to the World of Mystery?"

"Sorry, Sharena," Alfonse replied. "We had to battle our way here."

Sharena turned to me and asked, "Who's this with you? Oh my! You're holding the divine relic… and it's all aglow! Are you… the Great Hero? Our group has hoped beyond hope that you might come to save us!" She smiled so brightly that it couldn't have been humanly possible.

"Please, calm yourself, Sharena. This is Maxis," Alfonse told her. I smirked and waved at her. "As it turns out, the Great Hero is a tactical as well. We're already in good hands." I looked at Alfonse. I wasn't a tactician, I just knew what choices should be made due to my knowledge on the Art of War by Sun Tzu. I suppose I could've been speaking to them telepathically, that explanation made sense somehow.

"But… that's amazing," Sharena said. "And, Great Hero, you're as great as I imagined. I'm going to be your number-one fan. Oh! My manners have gone right out the window. I'm Sharena. Alfonse's darling little sister." She put out her hand and I shook it gently.

"Nice to meet you."

"All right, all right… Just tell us, what's the situation here," Alfonse questioned.

"Simply put? Absolutely dreadful," she told him. "The entire empire has taken control of a Hero from the World of Mystery. She swoops through the skies, a fearsome figure, all in red."

"A red flier from Mystery? It sounds like Princess Minerva. This battle will be tough. We should bring a Hero who's an archer, or perhaps…"

"Well, Virion's alre--"

"Begone, outsiders," a woman yelled. "I am Minerva, Princess of Macedon. Now, I'll warn you once - return to your world. I am bound to serve the Emblian Empire, and the imperial princess, Veronica, has given me an order. She has commanded that I attack a kingdom near her empire. I have no time for the likes of you."

"Princess Minerva, please hear me out. My name is Prince Alfonse, of the very kingdom you plan to attack. I beg you, put down your weapons. We of Askr have no desire to battle you noble Heroes."

"I am under contract to obey Princess Veronica. There is only ONE way to release me. Prove you are stronger."

"Must we resolve this with a battle, Princess Minerva?"

Anna turned and said, "Prince Alfonse! She has named her terms. We must fight - and win! Everyone, prepare for battle."

The commander, the siblings, and the archer ran to face the red wyvern rider. Once they got into position I thought to myself, _could they really hear my thoughts?_ I then heard Anna's voice in my head.

 _Yeah, we could hear you,_ she said. _And we're very thankful for that! Now, what's the plan, Maxis?_

 _Uh… If… then they'll… alright! Group around Virion!_

 _Oh,_ Anna cried. _Maxis, I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you, but if we utilize the weapon triangle we'll have a much easier fight._

 _Weapon triangle? Could you elaborate?_

 _Sure! Basically, axes beat lances, lances beat swords, and swords beat axes._

 _Alright. I'll keep that in mind. Now go group up around Virion and use the weapon triangle. Also break down that wall if you can._ They did what I instructed and made an opening. The enemies flew closer to the clump of allies I had arranged. They hadn't gotten far before I told the group to let Virion shoot them down. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a little girl in a dress and holding a staff run to accompany the fliers. She looked like she could've been Minerva's little sister.

 _Maxis_ , Anna called out, _that girl with the staff is a healer. I think her name is… Maria. Should I take care of her?_

 _Yeah, as fast as you can._ Anna ran to attack Maria and I commanded Virion to fire more arrows. The enemy attacked the group and one with a sword started a fight with Anna. Anna took a bad hit and dealt little damage to her opponent. I could hear her cries of pain from my position on the hill and I felt her pain myself. I told her to attack Maria and Virion to attack the sword wielding flier. I left them to fight the rest alone, and noticed a glint of light in the forest. I crept closer to it then stopped. The light was gone so I turned around to check on the battle. Suddenly a twig snapped behind me and I turned to see an archer aimed right at me. I pulled Breidablik on him and pulled the trigger. But I realized to late that it wasn't the divine weapon.

BANG!

"Ack!" The archer fell dead and the arrow flew way past my head. I collapsed and tried to hold back my tears as I watch blood poor out of his wounds. I could never have imagined that I would kill someone, even if they were an enemy. I sobbed for what seemed like ages until I heard a voice behind me.

"Maxis? What's wrong?" It was Sharena's.

"I-I killed h-him. H-h-he's d-dead. I-I-I di-didn't want t-to hurt anyo-one." I began sobbing even harder and Sharena came to hug me.

"It's okay, Maxis. Shh! Don't cry. Everything will be alright." Her voice was soft and sweet and her embrace was warm even through her armor. She ran her hands through my hair and held me until I stopped crying.

"Wh-where are the others?"

"Anna took a bad hit to the leg so the boys are carrying her." She pointed back and I saw Anna limping towards us with her arms around the shoulders of Alfonse and Virion.

"Anna," I cried out. "I'm so sorry! I should never have had you go after Maria!"

"No, I'm alright. I've survived worse. I just need so--augh! Ok, just put me down. Sharena do you have any left over salve or vulnerary?"

"Yeah. Here you go." she handed Anna a flask of some sort. Anna drank from it and stood up. She stretched her leg and seemed fine enough to walk on her own.

"Thanks, Sharena. Hold on, Minerva's coming." I crouched down behind Sharena while the others put their hands on their weapons. Minerva raised a hand in a peaceful gesture.

"Well done, Prince Alfonse," she said. "You have proved strong enough to break our contract with Veronica. And so, we are free once more. I give you my oath that we will not attack your kingdom. Farewell." She turned to her wyvern and flew off leaving us alone.

Alfonse turned to me and said, "That completes this mission, Maxis."

"You're such an excellent tactician," Sharena told me. She then picked me up in another big hug that was more bone crushing than comforting. "Why, I think I'm going to be very fond of you."

When she let go all I could say was "Uh-huh." I could feel my cheeks growing red so I looked away at nothing. Just then an owl swooped down and landed on a rock close to Anna. She seemed to fidget with the bird's leg. Apparently it was delivering a message to the commander.

"Everyone, listen up. I've just gotten a report that Emblian soldiers are advancing on our kingdom!"

"What?" Alfonse looked like he heard Anna tell him that a friend was dying. "Then all of this, here--?"

"It was just a distraction," Sharena muttered. "We've left our kingdom open to attack."

"They played us like a dang fiddle!" I couldn't believe all the walking that was needed. "I wanna die…"

"What's done is done," Anna told us. "Now, let's make haste. Back to Askr!" She ran off to where the portal was and we all followed behind.

After roughly fifteen minutes of walking on Zenith soil, Sharena turned to me and asked, "Maxis, what happened to you after that last battle?"

I let out a sigh. "I… er…"

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but I'll be there for you anytime."

"No, it's not that. I… look, we both come from different worlds and have different cultures, so I don't expect you to understand all of it, but I'll try my best to explain. I was attacked by an archer, so I pulled out Breidablik. But it wasn't Breidablik, it was… something else."

"You mean you had another weapon?"

"No… at least, I don't think so… Alright, what I pulled out of my pocket was a hand gun. Revolver, maybe."

"Huh?"

"They're types of weapons from where I'm from."

"Oh, so then was that noise a mage?"

"No, that was the gun. But I didn't bring it with me when arrived here. I think maybe… Breidablik changed into a gun…"

"Why's that, though?"

"Maybe it sensed that I was in danger. I just wanted to summon a Hero that would defend me…"

"I'll defend you, Maxis! You won't need to hurt anyone else!"

"Thanks, Sharena. I'm counting on you and the others." I smirked as best I could before solemnly staring at the ground again.

After another aeon of walking Anna stopped the group and said "Maxis, take a look over there." She pointed to where a woman and her possible bodyguard stood. "See that girl over there? That's Princess Veronica of Emblia." The princess had a doofy looking crown shaped like the shining sun that sat on her long, unkempt hair. Her dress was black and she held a large book at her side.

"Scurry, Scurry, little Heroes…" Her voice resonated all the way up to us. "Spread destruction. Kill all those who stand in your way. This kingdom must fall. Once it's gone, no one will oppose me. Every Hero, in every - they'll all be mine. Every last one." Princess Veronica's voice could be heard even from where we stood. We all ran towards the evil girl narrowly avoiding all the chaos around us. Alfonse stood in front with anger in his eyes.

"We won't allow it, Princess Veronica," Alfonse shouted. "And I will personally never forget this violation of my kingdom!"

"Oh, it's you. And after I went through all that trouble to arrange your playdate." Veronica turned to look at me and said, "now, who are YOU, stranger? You have that silly relic. Then you must be the legendary summoner. No matter. It simply means that you must be the first to die. Oh… Xander." Her bodyguard looking friend came over.

"You wish this one slain, Princess Veronica? As you wish." Xander pulled out his sword and began glowing purple and black.

"No! She has Xander, one of the most powerful Heroes from the World of Conquest," Alfonse cried out.

Sharena turned to me and said with a grin, "Don't worry. We'll protect you, Maxis."

"Get ready, everyone. Let's show this rotten princess what the Order of Heroes can really do," Anna commanded.

"Approach slowly, everyone," I announced. "Sharena, get in front and try to block the enemy from getting passed you."

"Got it," she said with a cheerful grin.

"Alright, now get to the battlefield!" They did as I instructed, but I ducked down behind a wall. After taking that man's life, I didn't want to have to see anymore bloodshed. Pulling the trigger was a whole lot different than issuing the order. And yet, it still felt like murder.

"Summoner? Summoner!" My eyes finally shot open when I realized that I was the one being referred to. I dashed back to where the group had been deployed from. "Summoner! There you are!" It was Alfonse that called out. "Where we-- Sorry, I-- I apologize for losing my composer," he said. "We were concerned as to your whereabouts." His tone kept friendliness to a minimum and professionalism high.

"Sorry, I was hiding behind a wall…" My voice had lost all hope and optimism. "Well, cowering, is actually a better word." I tried my best to chuckle at my statement, but no sound came out.

"Erm-- Regardless, it is good to see you safe. If you will excuse me, I must evaluate the damage caused by the attack." Alfonse was about to leave, but the other three fighters stopped him. Soon a voice rang out.

"Left all alone. Again? How dull. I'll go console myself back home with a cup of tea." It was Veronica.

"That foolish princess is retreating with her Heroes," Anna muttered.

Alfonse turned to his commander. "The battle's won, but this didn't resolve a thing. The empire will invade again soon enough."

Sharena was quick to speak her mind. "Stubborn girl. Why can't we just talk through this? These invasions are crazy. Honestly, that Veronica needs to grow up already. Where's her sense of diplomacy? Such a BRAT!"

Anna turned to her and said, "Sharena, don't let your emotions get the best of you - not on duty. I expect you to keep a level head if you're going to serve in this order. Hostility is their way, not ours."

"Sure, sure... I mean, of course, Commander Anna."

Alfonse was quick to turn back to me. "I'm sorry that you've been thrown into this brutal war with us, Maxis. But I'm glad you're here - an official member of the Order of Heroes!"

"Y-yeah," I muttered.


	3. Castle Life

"And here we have-- Summoner? Summoner! MAXIS!"

"Wh-what?! What?" I was hardly listening as Anna tried to explain… stuff… to me.

"Are you okay? You seem distracted."

"I…"

"Is it because of what happened… while we were fighting?"

"Erm-- I-- I think so, yeah."

"But you seemed so… calm before that."

"Maybe…" I shook my head hoping to clear my thoughts. "I don't know… Before that it just felt like a dream, but once I…" I took a deep breath before I could cry about it again. "Then it felt real… all of it, everything!"

"I see…" Anna gave a thoughtful nod before continuing. "Well, if you need to, I can send Prince Alfonse to show you to your room, so that you can rest."

"Thank you, Anna." At that she called over Alfonse who was looking over a document with his sister. He simply nodded and stayed silent when he was given his instructions. We ascended a flight of stairs and proceeded through some corridors until we arrived at a door.

"My apologies, Summoner, but we don't have a room that has been properly arranged for you," Alfonse told me. There was a hint of shame in his voice, so I quickly thought of a way to perk us both up.

"Oh, that's a'right. My arrival was pretty, ah… last minute. It's not like it's some hotel-- er, inn that I found." It was a terrible joke that couldn't even be called one, but I had to make an attempt.

"Y-yes, I suppose you're correct," he muttered. He gave me half a grin before continuing. "Well, I promise you that we will have a room ready for you by tonight, Summoner."

"You don't have to call me 'Summoner', Alfonse."

"Alright… Maxis. I'll leave you to rest now."

"Thanks."

-x-

I took my break and used it to spin Breidablik around on my finger. It was awkward at first, but I got the hang of it quickly. I eventually caught it mid-spin, then pulled the trigger just like any good little cowboy. There was that familiar flash of light again and out popped Virion, once more. "Ah, did you need me, Maxis," he asked.

"Erm, no, but accidentally summoning you gives me an idea."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, if I can just summon you on a whim like that, then you won't need to walk to the battlefield. That would save energy for the fight."

"Ah! What a splendid idea!"

"Thanks, but you can go now." And with an extravagant bow he was out the door. Not soon after I heard a high pitched voice stop Virion in his tracks. Out of curiosity I crept closer to the door and listened to the conversation. It was Sharena. Virion was explaining to her what had just happened. They each said their farewells and Virion left. Soon the door squeaked open.

"Maxis? Where are you," Sharena questioned. Then I decided to come out from hiding behind the door. "Ah! What was that?! A sneak attack?!"

With a chuckle and a sly grin, I respond in my voice of a cool and calm version of Solid Snake. "No, but you should expect more from me in the future."

"Uh-huh… Well, how are you feeling now?"

"Referring to… after the 'incedent'?"

"Um… y-yeah…"

"Well, I had forgotten about it, but now…" I suddenly realized that I should follow my own advice. "Ya know what? FRICK THAT GUY! IT'S HIS FAULT!"

"What?!" Sharena looked shocked, even scared at my statement.

"I'm sorry, I really should explain. When I was younger I realized that depression can go… die alone, for lack of a better word. I got angry at sadness. Then I told myself 'life doesn't me to be happy. It wants me to suffer, so I need to punch life in the gut and laugh in it's face.' So now I'm… laughing at a man's death. Hm… Well, as Frank Sinatra would say, 'that's life'."

Sharena just stared at me, dumbfounded. "Um… Well, I'm glad you're… not sad… I guess…"

"Yeah… Well, is that all you wanted?"

"I don't think so, but I don't remember the other thing."

"Oh. Well, do ya wanna stay and think about it?"

"Sure, thanks!" Sharena then made her way to the desk chair and sat down while I sat on the bed.

After a period of awkward silence I finally spoke up. "Hey, I've been thinking that maybe I should keep a journal while I'm here." At those words Sharena's lit up with joy. She then grabbed me by the arm started dragging me out the door. "Ah… Sh-Sharena," I cried out. "Wh-where are we going?!"

"To my room," she told me, as if it was obvious. "Now hurry up!"

"Uh oh," I mumbled. It's going to be all pink! We climbed up a flight of stairs and then another before stopping at the door to her room. It wasn't actually pink but themed after The Order's colors. "This is your room?"

"Yep," Sharena told me, as she began rummaging through the drawers in her desk.

"So, I'll be getting a room like this, right?"

"Of course! In fact, I think the room across from mine will end up being yours."

"Mm. Are Anna's and Alfonse's rooms close, too?"

"Uh-huh! Right next door!"

I let out a chuckle before saying, "We could call it 'The Hero Hall', then."

"Haha, yeah. Oh! Here it is!" Sharena pulled out a small book with the Askr crest on it. "My spare scouting journal!"

"I assume you use it to take notes of suspicious activity while out in the field?"

"Yep! But this one I want to give to you so you can keep track of all your experiences!"

"W-wow! Thank you, Sharena!"

"It's no problem! In fact, I'll help you with your writing!"

"Do you have a lot of experience with stuff like that?"

"Of course! Besides writing scouting reports, I often write letters to my mother. We live in the same castle, but we rarely have a chance to speak!"

"Wait, what?! When was the last time you had a conversation with her, then?"

"Uh… I think maybe a week? But I did catch her early enough to say good night about 3 days ago."

"A _WEEK_?! Jeez, you need to see your family more."

"Yeah, I know." Sharena wore a face of guilt, but I couldn't stand to see her like that.

"Maybe it's not your fault, though. You should at least say good night and good morning to your mom every day."

"Okay, I will."

"Now," I said, with a hand clap. "Where should I start?"

Sharena was visibly excited at those words. "Just before you met Anna!"

"Alright, I can do that," I told her. I didn't write for very long before there was knock on the door. Sharena got up to see who it was and it was her own brother.

"Sharena, have you seen the Summoner anywhere?"

"Yep! We--"

"And did you deliver the message?"

"…No. I'm sorry, Alfonse."

"What's the message," I hollered.

"Summoner! I apologize for my sister," Alfonse said with a bow.

"Riiight… Well, it's not a big deal. What was important, though?"

"Lunch is ready."

I chuckled at the 'vitality' of the message. "Well, I suppose that is important considering the fact that I didn't have breakfast this morning. So! What's on the menu for today?"

"Er… Just… Sandwiches."

"Great! I haven't had a good sandwich in a long time!"

"Erm… Right this way, then, Summoner."

"You can just call me Maxis." Alfonse nodded and led the three of us down to what I could only assume to be the dining room. Dining hall was more accurate, though. "Nice chairs ya' got here!"

"Erm-- Thank you," Alfonse muttered. "Uh… Shall we sit?"

"Sure, sure." At the head of the table was Anna with half of her own sandwich finished already. She was glaring at what could only have been some sort of report. "Hey, Anna," I called. She looked up, grunted, and went back to reading her document.

"You can sit anywhere you would like, Sum-- Maxis," Alfonse told me. At that I took a seat two seats away from Anna.

"That a report, Anna?" She let out a sigh, then gave a confirming nod. "So what's it say?"

"Just… eat," she muttered with her face in the palms of her hands.

Sharena spoke up. "Commander?"

"I'm-- I'll be right back." Anna got up and left through the door that we came in through.

"What was that all about," I asked Alfonse.

"I think today will be a hard one for us," he replied.

"Frickin' gloves, man! I didn't even know I had these things on! And my hands get sweaty easily so they aren't doing me any favors there," I ranted to Alfonse and anyone else who would listen. "Maybe I'll wear them still, though, because--"

"Listen up, everyone," a newly arriving Anna hollered. "I've gotten word that the Emblian Empire has invaded the World of Mystery. They're seizing control of its Heroes in hopes of using them to mount an attack on our kingdom. Unfortunately, they already possess one of that world's most important Heroes-- Marth!"

"The legendary Hero-King," Alfonse questioned. "If Marth leads a charge on the Askran Kingdom, it would be devastating."

At that Sharena chimed in. "Well, so what if they have a legend on their side? We have one too. Our summoner here!"

To which Anna continued, "let's go to the World of Mystery and free their Heroes from Embla's control before things get out of hand. It's going to be a tough battle. I hope you're ready for this, Maxis."

I stayed silent as tears welled up in my eyes.


	4. A Quick Critique

"So…? How is it so far, Sharena?"

"Um… Its… interesting… to say the least."

"Ok, but give me your most brutally honest opinion. No sugar-coating."

"Um… Its… bad."

"I'm sorry! It's just… I don't understand a lot of this and why is structured like a fictional story?"

"…I'm not good at this am I?"

"No! I'm not even sure if a lot of this is true! _Psychic connection_?! That never happened!"

"Well, I am writing it with ink and quill."

"Can't you just cross stuff out and rewrite it?"

"Nah, I'm way to stubborn."

" _That's_ your excuse?!"

"Eeyep."

"Clean it up."

"Hm?"

"Clean it up! I don't care how, just do it!"

"Alright, Alright!" Sharena nodded her head and stormed out the door. Her door. Ironic, really. Instead of a stupid psychic connection, I've been shouting like a sportscaster. It's mostly unintelligible, but it gets the job done. The gun thing? I missed, but Breidablik did turn into a single action army. Missing is the only thing that changed, but I'm still quite shocked. I guess I just wanted to sound cooler, but that immediately back-fired. Anyways, hopefully this will be less dumb soon.


	5. LARPing, but with murder

"Maxis," Anna called out, as she opened the door to my room. "Uh… hello?"

"Hey, Anna," I called out as I crawled out from underneath my bed.

"Gah! Gods, what were you doing under there?"

"Well, I've never had a bed this tall before. And, hey! Maybe there's a tactical advantage to this!"

"O-ohh. Ah, do you have the battle plans?"

"…Was I supposed to make plans, or receive them?"

"You were supposed to make them," Anna huffed.

"That's news to me."

"I told Sharena to take you to the war room so that you could plan our next mission! Don't tell me she forgot!"

"Oh, don't worry! I'll just wing it," I told Anna with a hopeful grin. "Like what I've been doing."

"That's not reassuring," she said as she put her face in her hand.

"Odd. It was supposed to be."

"…Uh-huh. Come on we're going to be leaving soon." Eventually we got down to the foyer to meet up with Alfonse and Sharena. It's probably the foyer. "Alright, everyone! We're going to the World of Mystery to free Prince Marth and his allies, so is everything ready?"

Both Askran royals nodded in confirmation. "Of course," Sharena said.

"Weapons?"

"Check!"

"Armor?"

"Check!"

"Food?"

"Check!"

"Water, vulenaries, and other first-aid equipment?"

"Check, check, checkity-check!"

"That's too many checks," I joked. "Anna! Name another thing!"

"Uh, alright… Oh! Did you two get horses ready?"

"Um… Could you… repeat that," Sharena asked sheepishly.

"Horses. Did you prepare them?"

Before Sharena could say that she forgot, Alfonse spoke up. "Don't worry, Commander. I took care of it, but unfortunately there were only two horses left in the stables. If necessary, I can walk."

"Yeah, I could, too," I told Anna. "I don't mind."

"No. _You're_ the reason we're taking horses," the Commander said. Her tone was possibly unnoticed by the others, but I knew she was displeased with my, for lack of a better word, whining. "Alfonse and I will be walking."

"Ooorrr… we could double up. Two people on a horse. Or just one horse only for me. Not the idea I would chose. Or throw the horses out of the equation entirely and we all walk," I said.

"Hmm. Alfonse, in what shape are the horses?"

"Well, based on other horses that I've seen in the stables before, I would say that they're the last two to be taken by the army, if they're needed."

"So the last kids picked for sports, huh," I wondered aloud. "Hey, wait! Are we not part of the main army?"

"No, we're a private force solely dedicated to freeing taken Heroes," Alfonse explained. "And, as for the horses, I believe that they wouldn't be able to carry more than one of us at a time. And that doesn't acount for our supplies."

As I thought of our options, Anna had already made the final decision. "Then we'll put Maxis on one horse and the other will carry our supplies. Any objections?"

"That sounds perfectly fine, Commander," Alfonse said with a nod.

"Sure, I'm fine with that," Sharena said with a smile.

"Good. Now le—"

"Hey," I interrupted. "This's prob'ly a bad time to remember this, but I don't know how to ride a horse."

"O-okay, umm… Oh! Sharena! Help Maxis get onto the horse and we'll just pull you along."

Sharena and I nodded then she motioned for me to follow her. The horses were just outside the entrance way trimming the lawn. "So you've never ridden a horse before," Sharena asked with a hint of disbelief.

"No, they're usually large and intimidating," I responded. But…

"Not these ones! They mostly carry supplies, so being small helps us load and unload them all the time. First, your left foot will go in this stirrup, then put your hand on the— saddle pommel, I think it's called? Then just pull your self up!"

"Okay, here goes!" I did as instructed and somehow actually managed to mount the horse with no problems.

"So? How is it," Sharena asked with a cheeky grin.

"Well, I have that feeling of when I used to finish giving speeches in school. Relived, but still scared."

"Yeah, I remember getting that feeling all the time."

"I suppose 'cuz you're a princess you have to give speeches all the time."

"Mm-hm," Sharena hummed with a nod, but she soon became bashful. "Oh, uh, that actually reminds me… I… want to apologize… for yelling at you earlier."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Oh, that's okay. I practically asked you to, so it's no big deal."

"Still, it was quite rude of me and I hope you'll forgive me."

"I just did! Don't worry about it," I exclaimed with a chuckle.

"We're ready to go," the Commander shouted as she and the prince came out from the castle

"Hey, how long will liberating the place take," I asked.

"If we're lucky, half a week."

"Well, let's do it, then…" And thus we were off.

-x-

At last we arrived at the base of the gateways. The oversized doorway to Mystery glowed beckoningly. "So, how was your first horseback ride," Sharena asked me as if she knew the answer.

"My butt hurts," I grumbled as I slid out of the saddle.

Sharena giggled in response. "It wasn't that long of a trip!" I grumbled more in response.

"Okay, is everyone ready," Anna asked, still holding on to the second horse. The three of us nodded. "Wait, there's only four of us?"

"Virion will be here soon," I told her as I winked at Sharena.

"Will he," both women asked in very different ways.

"Yep! You can count on it! Now let's go!"

"Yes, let's," Anna muttered as she began to make her way through the gateway.

As we followed behind Anna, Sharena whispered in my ear. "Didn't you tell Virion to stay at the castle?"

"I did. But do you remember why?" Sharena thought long and hard to figure it out, but she just couldn't do it. "Because of what we talked about earlier." Finally a look of understanding crept across her face.

We stopped to survey the land scape once we emerged. There was water to our left and right, unimportant mountains (more like glorified rock piles), a 'pond' across from us with a forest to its right. More accurate to say it was a pothole with a lot of water in it and overgrown shrubbery, though. Everything felt small, as if it was meant for twelve children to play around with toy swords and tell their parents they were in a battle.

To the left of the pond was an old man on a horse, veteran looking. There had to have been roughly 40 years of experience under his belt. He wore purple armor with spikes that had to be too long on his shoulders. That was kind of poorly worded, but I'm using pen and ink to write this, so I can't erase it. Lance in hand as he glared at us. His face looked sharp and worn, but not possibly ugly. You could say that about every part of him except for his white 'as smooth and well-kept as it could be on a battlefield' hair style.

Across the pond was probably the leader of the three. (We'll get to that guy last. Or should I say gal? Hm hm hm. Why did I write that?) The simple explanation of him was the 'young anime protagonist that will learn that not everybody is a good person'. Someone that I couldn't be around for more than five minutes. His clothes were blue and gold, his armor was blue and gold, and his hair was blue and gold. Scratch that. He had a tiara, not gold hair. Blue hair with a gold tiara. I remember that because it looked dumb. Anyways, he had a cape that was blue and— you guessed it! Red. Brown leather gauntlets. His boots matched them. An expensive looking sword was in his sheath. Not much else.

To the right of 'Royal Blue' was a woman on a Pegasus who wore red armor and clothing, but otherwise matched her boyfriend. (Or so I'm told. When I first saw them I thought they were siblings.) Her hair was long, blue, and flowing. Perfect for being grabbed if necessary. Her mount was standard equipment. Her sword didn't look like it could be useful unless some very specific requirements were met.

Enough scene building! Time for action! After some dialogue.

"I am Marth, Prince of Altea," Marth, Prince of Altea said. (Voiced by Marth, Prince of Altea. Mocap by Marth, Prince of Altea. This got stupid, I'm sorry.) "You must be with the Order of Heroes I've heard about. Princess Veronica told us about you. And I assume you all know about the contract that binds us to her? Heroes of a conquered world must obey their conqueror. But if you show us that you're more powerful than our conqueror, that will break the contract. That being said, we will battle our very best. Now, show us what you can do!"

"What's the plan, Maxis," Anna asked.

"Hold on, first we need Virion here." I then took out Breidablik and started spinning it around on my finger. This resulted in me soon dropping. "Darn it! Hold on lemme try again," I said as I picked up Breildabrik again. This happened twice more before Anna asked what I was doing. "I need to do this right!"

"You're waisting valuable time," Anna grumbled to me quietly.

All eyes were on me as I finally spun it satisfyingly. I pointed my weapon at our enemies and pulled the trigger. It felt like a flashbang went off in my face, though. I held my hands up to my head and groaned in pain. At the same time, I could feel someone's hand on my shoulder and a voice in my ear. I couldn't figure out who it was with the ringing in my ears, though. As soon as my terrible headache went away I saw everyone including Virion surrounding me making sure I was alright. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure," asked a very worried Sharena.

"Mm-hm. Let's… Let's get fightin'. Anna, you take down the horseman. Let 'em strike first. Sharena, once he's down you'll step in front of her then do the same as Anna."

"What would you like for me to do," Alfonse asked.

"You'll provide backup for whoever needs it."

"Alright, but one last thing," Anna said. "Why do you always want them to attack first?"

"Well, t' me, you guys seem to get hurt less that way."

"Huh. Thanks for looking out for us."

"Right, now get out there and win."

Action, finally! Hopefully I can write this well.

Anna took a few careful steps forward with Sharena close behind. I could hear her say some encouraging words to the commander as they readied their weapons. Virion stood ready, near, but outside of the danger zone. Alfonse and I ran behind the mountain to spectate safely. As soon as we were out of sight, Jagen the Paladin (the seasoned horseback rider and Marth's mentor I'm told) rushed forward to combat Anna. She easily let his lance slide off of her axe, but not without a small cut to her upper arm. As soon as the veteran was in range she began a swing for his chest. It connected with his arm, but the commander's next swing put Jagen out of action.

As that was happening, Marth was hurrying to get to us as well. He had a face that seemed to say 'please forgive me for this'. I hoped my own told him that he had no reason to apologize as I ordered Sharena to battle him.

Though one thing had slipped my mind. "GUH! VIRION! HORSE! BIRD! THING! SHOOT IT," I shouted pointing at the pegasus coming over the trees. One arrow was enough to spook her away. Virion was about to shoot at her again, but I told him to let her go.

Turning my attention back to Sharena, I saw that Marth was easily dodging her thrusts. His style heavily favored dodging and quick stabs with only occasional slashes. Almost like a dance, it was meant to dazzle the opponent. I saw him get close and ready a diagonal slash from his left. "SWEEP," I called out and sure enough Sharena was able to give him a good cut to the side of his abdomen as he tried to dance around her. Marth clutched at his side, but in doing so he left himself open for Sharena to stab him in the gut. I soon realized that they didn't bleed like normal. I don't know what it was, but he definitely wasn't going to die.

"Well done," Marth managed to say somehow. "I expected as much from you. But our battles are far from over." He put out his right arm high into the air and the woman on the pegasus spectacularly snatched him from the ground. "The next time you see me, we will settle this once and for all."

"WHAT?! GET BACK HERE YA TWINK," I shouted as I began sprinting after him. "ALFONSE! COME ON!" We ran after the duo until we arrived at a river.

"H-how did— How were you able to run so fast," Alfonse choked out.

"I—" Interrupting myself with a harsh cough, I fell to the ground and gasped for more air.

The two of us were probably on the ground for a minute before the others caught up. "Are you two alright," Anna asked, almost not concerned, as if she knew the answer.

"Y-yes, Commander," the prince replied.

"How… did you guys… catch up… so fast?"

"You didn't get very far, but you were definitely quick."

"G-great… just… gimme a sec."

"Maxis," Sharena said. "There's a Hero on the bridge to our left, an Emblian on the bridge to our right, and an Emblian across the river."

"O-okay." I looked to where she pointed and saw they wielded a sword, an axe, and a bow respectively. "Sh-Sharena, you— Man, I'm outta shape. You take on the Hero, Alfonse, the axe wielder, and Virion, how fast are you?"

"I hope you don't mean for me to dodge arrows," he said.

"Hm. Just get him before he gets you, then. Oh! One last thing! Don't kill anybody! I mean, I get that the Heroes won't actually die, so kill them, but don't kill Emblians, just knock 'em unconscious! I don't wanna feel like I have blood on my hands."

"Maxis, you—" the Commander began. "You understand that we're at war, right? Killing is just a part of it."

"Fine, just try to avoid it."

"If that's what you wish, Summoner," Alfonse said. "Then we shall do our best to spare them."

"Thanks, now get to it." The four ran out to the battlefield, and immediately Alfonse floored his enemy. Sharena stabbed the Hero and almost got hit by an arrow. If it weren't for Virion, she would have been shot at again. _So much for dodgin' arrows, am I right?_

With an arrow still lodged in his shoulder, he drew back his bowstring and sent his own into the forearm of the Emblian archer. Virion knocked another arrow, pulled back, but didn't release. Once his enemy realized that he was facing a far superior man he turned and ran for his life. Virion lowered his bow and clutched at the arrow in his arm.

Sharena gasped. "Virion! Are you okay? I'll go get you a vulnerary!"

"N-no need, Milady. It strengthens me… just to see you safe."

Sharena shook her head. "No! You need healing!" Before Virion could argue further, she rushed away to the pack horse and pulled out a small bottle. It was very similar to the one she gave Anna before. Sharena ran back to the wounded archer and thrusted the bottle into his hands. "Drink," she shouted. Virion knew that following her command was the only outcome of his situation, so he did as instructed. Soon he was on his feet, fit as a fiddle.

"What is that thing by the way," I asked Anna.

"A vulnerary. We use it to heal wounds between battles."

"Wouldn't it be better to rub it on the wound?"

"It works either way, but rubbing it on stings badly, and drinking it tastes awful."

"Pick your poison, I suppose. Good medicine tastes bitter! Ifitstingsit'sworking!"

"What…? Oh, nevermind. We need to get moving." Everyone nodded in agreement, and so, we set off! On our quest for… nevermind.

As we walked Anna pulled me aside. "Maxis?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever used magic?"

"Uh… no?"

"That would explain it…"

"Explain what?"

"Why you got a headache after you summoned Virion."

"Huh. What, does it drain my life force or somethin'?"

"No, it— You understand pain tolerance, right?"

"Yeah, or building an immunity to poison?"

"No, no, I'm explaining this all wrong… It's like lifting heavy crates."

"Getting buff, but for your brain?"

"Yeah, the more you practice, the less it will hurt."

"Got it, I'll— Wait when did we get to a desert?"

"You'd be surprised at how quickly the terrain can change."

Fight 3, there were wizards that threw green tornadoes and ribbed dildos at us, who cares.

Fight 4? Better than the last one, but still pretty boring. I sent Virion to the left so that he could take down this green-haired archer kid (a Hero apparently). Then Sharena followed behind him and killed the sword cavalier Hero (part of a duo!).

To the right I sent Anna and Alfonse to take out some lance wielders. One of them was a cavalier (part two of the duo), the other an Emblian pegasus rider.

Two comments I have to say. First, apparently only women are allowed to ride pegasi. Second, the two cavaliers are named Cain and Abel, like in the Bible. Cain wears red and wields a sword, Abel wears green and wields a lance. Cain is rowdy, and Abel is more calm. In the Bible, Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve, the first humans. Cain takes Abel out to a secluded field, then murders his brother with a rock. I can't remember much more about it, but I just found the cavaliers' connection to the Bible interesting.

Anyways, transition to the final battle where we've finally found Marth again. He stood on an island surrounded by a river with small bridges connecting the land. He was flanked by Merric, a wind mage, Gordin, an archer, and Caeda, the pegasus knight that aided his escape from before.

Already, I was thinking about how we would have to go around to the other side of the river, or go along the river to get to an optimal position to attack. Either way, we would get hit by arrows or blades of wind without being able to hit back.

Virion could have been a big help here, but I didn't want to leave all the work to him.

Before I could think of a satisfying plan, Marth had begun a new speech. "You've done well to make it so far. Clearly, you people are devoted to the cause of peace. In truth, that speaks to my heart. We are kindred spirits. I wish that we had met as allies.

"But I must abide by the contract that binds us until it is broken. Can you break it, I wonder? It's time to find out with an honest battle. Do your best. And I will do mine!"

With evident disgust on my face, I said, "Is it bad that I hate him for no reason? Y'know what, yeah, it prob'ly is. Well, whatever, here's the plan: Virion, you'll go along the river and take out the green haired kid—the one with the bow! Anna, you'll back him up, in case he needs it. Sharena you'll cross the bridge with Alfonse behind you, and take down anyone who comes near. Once I give the signal, run as fast as you guys can. Gottit?"

The four warriors nodded and Anna spoke up. "How will we know the signal?"

"Oh, you'll know the signal," I said, smirking and holding up the Heal staff we got from the skirmish with the mages. That info wasn't important until now, I just realized. Taking a step forward I prepared my arm for a hard throw. Target: Marth's face. With a grunt of effort, I threw the staff as hard as I could. The effort was wasted, however, as the staff just barely made it halfway across the river before landing with a comedic splash.

I looked back towards the others and they looked back in bewilderment. "What are you _waiting_ for?! _Go!_ "

Shaking themselves from their stupor, they rushed towards their issued flank routes.

Virion was able to shoot an arrow at Gordin, but it only was able to graze his thigh. Gordin reciprocated with one of his own, but with worse results. As his projectile missed Virion, another buried itself deep within his lung.

Meanwhile, Team Two was making it's way across across the river. Alfonse and Sharena had barely made it across the bridge before Merric's wind magic had torn a gash in Sharena's upper arm.

At the same time Caeda's pegasus had taken flight towards Anna and Virion. Her reasoning was probably a triangle advantage over Anna, but in her recklessness she was extremely open to an arrow. _It's the perfect trap that I didn't even know I was setting._ Virion, too, saw this opportunity and took it, resulting in Caeda taking the arrow to her heart. She plummeted face first in the dirt and land with her body perfectly bent into a 'C' shape. It was a moment that had to be seen in person to get it's full amount of side-splitting laughter achieved. I wish there was a way I could gracefully say I felt like I was going to die at how hard I was laughing.

Anyways, Alfonse and Marth were soon clashing blades. For every two swings Marth was able to make, Alfonse could only swing once. His swings more than made up for his lack of power with heavy, staggering blows. If Marth couldn't recover so quickly, the battle would've been over soon.

Thankfully, Sharena was able to provide backup while Merric had to waste time getting to a bridge, crossing, then running still to provide aid.

During this time, Alfonse was able to parry Marth's blade, and Sharena jammed her lance into his side, just above the hip.

Before Merric was able to realize that continuing towards where his friend lay 'dead' was a bad idea, Alfonse had buried his sword in Merric's skull.

"You have proved your power, and I am glad to say that you have broken the contract," Marth said. He got up from the ground without any evidence of a battle other than clutching his side. "You have my gratitude for freeing us from Veronica. I hope that we will meet again someday."

"You can't just join us," I asked.

"I'm afraid not. If we were able to we would."

"Other business to attend then, huh? I understand. Should we get goin' then," I asked the others.

"Yes, let's," Anna said.

"Wait," Marth called out. "Please, take these." He offered me five marbles, each the size of a musket ball. "It's the least I can do to repay you."

"Thanks." I looked closely at them and realized they were perfectly smooth, no cracks or chips that one might expect. They were also filled with some sort of rainbow colored miasma. I put them in my pocket and said without thought, "See ya later!"

-x-

Once we were back in Askr, Alfonse gathered us around him. "Well done, everyone. We've saved their world and our kingdom. At least for now."

We then had an unexpected visitor. "How frightfully boring."

"Princess Veronica!"

"After all the trouble I went through, making Marth and those others pawns of our empire… Why did you free them? No matter. I have far more powerful forces at my beck and call. If I wish you dead, they will oblige. And… Do I want that? Oh, yes. I very much do. Now, just you wait there while I call them over…" She then started walking away without any hurry.

"We must retreat," the Commander said to me. "We don't have the strength to face her. We need to get back to our castle to regroup!"

The Emblian princess turned back to us as we started running. "Going so soon? And just when I was getting ready to play! I suppose I'll go home. You'd better get ready for what's coming next. Oh, the Heroes you're going to meet," she called out as if we were old friends.

Our group ran as fast as we could towards the general direction of the castle. But seeing a good opportunity, I guided everyone into a small forest so we could recollect our thoughts. It was decided that we would wait for Veronica to leave us alone, then figure out what these marbles were for.


	6. Green as Grass

Ch. 5 - Green as Grass

Wearing white with gold trims didn't make for very good camouflage in our little grove. Even Virion's blueish gray get-up was better. Thankfully, Veronica didn't come back though.

"Anna," I whispered.

"Hm?"

"What are these marbles?"

The red haired woman's eyes lit up upon seeing them. "Where did you find those?!"

"Marth gave them to me. What are they for?"

"They're— We call them 'Orbs'."

"And what's their function?"

"We don't know, but we think they have something to do with Breidablik."

"Really… Maybe— No, I'll explain it once we're done hiding."

"Alright."

-x-

"Sharena, do you see them?"

"No, not yet, Commander. Wait, there's a horse coming this way."

"I think it's one of ours, no, I'm sure of it," Alfonse said.

"The enemy must have grown board of their search then," Virion chimed in.

"Yeah that'd make sense," I added.

"Can we be sure of that though," Anna asked.

"No, but think about it. Horses, tame or not, don't like being around unfamiliar people and potential dangers," I replied. "We should check it out."

"No, let's not take any unnecessary risks."

"Oh come on, we can't just sit here all day! Besides, hiding here was a risk."

"Yes, but this was a calculated risk."

"How?"

"I made sure they couldn't see us as we came in here. There's no way we can be sure we won't be spotted if we come out of hiding."

"Well I don't wanna sit here all day," I said as I stood up and walked deeper into the forest.

"Where are you going," the red-headed commander whispered as loudly as she could.

"I'm gonna go rub dirt on my face and see what happens."

"What? Why?"

"Have you heard of camouflage?"

"No…?"

"This is camo," I told Anna as I finished getting my self filthy. "It won't be as effective as I'd like, but this will have to do." As I tried to exit our small haven Anna grabbed my shoulder.

"No, I can't let you go out there."

"Why not?"

"'Why not?' Because that would be suicide!"

"Then Virion'll come with me! Right, Virion?"

"If we can find a suitable route and position to get a clearer view of where the enemy may be, it would be most advantageous," the cobalt archer explained.

"Look," the commander began. "While I trust that to be a good idea, the nearest hill is where we just came from."

"Yeah, that'd be a problem… The way I see it is this: We go up there and nobody's there, or we get slaughtered."

"Then we'll get slaughtered!"

"Then it's settled! Let's go," I joked.

"No! We are staying here, and that's final."

"Lame," was all I could think to say.

-x-

Not even five minutes had past before I decided to walk away. "I'm gonna go pee, I'll be righ' back." The others gave me looks that one might expect from such bluntness, and I just kept walking deeper into the woods. When I could no longer see any of the others I turned left and kept walking out. _How far does a dog walk into the woods before he starts to leave._

The sun still shone brightly on the green expanse before me. _Stupid thing needs a hood. Stylized, but it's still just a bathrobe._ I kept walking, keeping an eye on where I suspected the others to be. If my idea was going to work, then I couldn't let even them see me.

I stalked my way to the other side of the hill, hoping that if there was an enemy I wouldn't be spotted. Nobody. Anywhere. Veronica was either bluffing or taking her time.

Eventually, I was able to make it behind the hill where we had come out of the gateway of Mystery, or whatever. Still not a single person around. Up the hill? Nope. _I think this was where I was summoned to._ Right here, near the almost-gravestone. I drew Breidablik, just to be safe. But really, who was I fooling? Luckily there was still nothing.

"Hey, guys," I shouted from atop the hill. "There's nobody here!"

"Maxis," Sharena shouted in alarm. Soon she was standing in front of me with distress on her face. "Are you alright?! You're not hurt are you?!"

"Uh… No, I'm fine…?"

"Oh, thank the Gods! I was so worried about you!"

"Sure, sure," I replied awkwardly, scratching my nose.

"Maxis," another female voice called. Anna got even closer to me than Sharena. "What were you thinking," she whispered angrily.

"That I would get out of the forest," I replied plainly and honestly.

"Maxis, that was incredibly dangerous!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry…," I muttered trying to take my way out of an hour-long 'lesson'.

She might not've bought it entirely, but she nodded anyways. "Just be more careful, please. If we lose you, then…"

"…I understand."

"Good." She turned around to Virion, who was picking twigs out of his hair and trying to wipe dirt off himself. That stuff wasn't there before, though.

I turned towards where Alfonse and Sharena now stood. It looked like she was listening to the same thing I had just heard, this time from her brother. I looked down at the gun my hand. _This thing almost seems like a heavy toy._ Can I really use this like any other handgun, or was that just a fluke? "Hey, Anna, how do ya run this thing again?"

"Huh?"

"How does this work," I spoke more clearly.

"Oh, of course! Well, first we need orbs for it."

"These things, right," I asked holding up the rainbow marbles.

"Yep. I have more in a pouch somewhere… Sharena, I think they're with our pack horse, could you go retrieve it?" The blonde-haired girl nodded then began to run off.

While she went to find the extra orbs, I decided to examine the ones Marth gave me closer. Visually, they were just glass musket balls with a rainbow scent in them (ya know, like in the Froot Loops commercials?). I took off my gloves, and sure enough, they felt like glass. Perfectly round and smooth glass. No chips, no cracks. I couldn't help but think that these weren't actual glass, though.

"Here they are, Commander," Sharena called out happily.

"Good, thank you, Sharena!" Anna turned back to me. "There are fi— Didn't you have five orbs?" I nodded. "Where'd the fifth one go?" I shifted my tongue around and opened my mouth so that it could land in my palm. " _Eugh_! What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"I wanted to see if they really were made of glass," I responded, not quite jokingly, but I was still laughing about it.

"So your first thought was to put it in your _mouth_?!"

"No, my first instinct was to see if I could break it by throwing it at the ground as hard as I could." It was the truth, but I still found it funny.

"Don't—," Anna began furiously, but attempted to calm herself down. "Please don't try to break the orbs. They are highly valuable to us, and are much needed for the war effort."

"I thought you said you didn't know what they did."

"All we know is that they go along with Breidablik, which is important on it's own."

"A'right, sure, sure."

"Anyways, like I was saying, we have fifteen here." Anna held up a small fabric bag, supposedly with the orbs inside it. "And you have five."

"So that's twenty, but how do I use them?"

"I'm afraid we don't know, but they're yours now."

"Okay then…," I said, taking the bag. "Let's see here… No magazine release button… Is it a muzzleloader…? …No, the orbs are too small for that… What are these holes on the sides…? Are they key holes? Anna, are these key holes at the bottom?"

"Hm? Oh, yes I was curious about them myself. Do you know what they're for?"

"No, that's why I was asking you, actually."

"Oh, well Breidablik is also called 'the true key', like I mentioned before."

"But what does that mean?"

"I— I don't know… I'm really sorry…"

I let out a sigh. "It's fine… pro'bly doesn't matter anyways… Uuuhhhmmm… How do you…?" Looking towards the keyholes, I realized that the spade suite-shaped thing they were on wasn't stuck to the gun itself. It tried tugging at it to no avail.

"Maxis…?"

"This has to do something," I muttered before I felt it move. "Does this…?" It screws off. "It screws… off."

"Did y—"

"Anna, it screws _off_! Why does it _screw off_?!" That just made me angrier than it should have. "That is so _stupid_! Why would anyone make a magazine that _screws off_?! What _purpose_ does that serve?! The magazine is supposed to be released by a _button_! Who _designed_ this?! The empty magazine is supposed to be easily released during a fire fight so that a new magazine can be replaced just as easily! And the fat part at the front doesn't help, either! What is that supposed to be, a _foregrip_?! There's no sight system either! I can think of _ten ways_ this could have been designed better. Whoever made it this way is an _idiot_! Anna," I shouted and she visibly jumped. "Where did you get Breidablik from?"

"U-uh… It—"

Alfonse had to interrupt at this point. "B-Breidablik is— No, my apologies."

"Go on, please, I have to know who made this thing."

Alfonse swallowed before continuing. "Breidablik was made a long time ago, much like Fólkvangr, Fensalir, and Nóatún, by the First Dragons for… …For you."

"So they knew that, in the future, I would be using this weapon?"

"Y-yes, I believe so…"

I let out a sigh. "Of course dragons made it, they have the dexterity of a ham… Okay let's get back to it." I unscrewed the bottom, expecting a magazine made out of glass or something equally stupid, but was surprised to see that it was just a hole inside. I took an orb out of Anna's bag and slipped it in. _Don't tell me I have to load a new one everytime…_ I grabbed another orb, hoping I could fit another, but to my surprise the other one was gone. "Wha…?" I flipped Breidablik over and shook it. Nothing came out. "What the heck…?"

"Maxis," Anna gently called. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh… Well— Is— Can— Can stuff magically disappear?"

"If it's strong enough magic."

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine then!"

"It's _glowing_ ," Sharena exclaimed excitedly. "Look, look, it's glowing at the end!"

Sure enough, the muzzle had a faint glow inside of it. I was tempted to reach a finger down there, but I didn't want to risk losing a finger. I loaded another orb, which had also disappeared, and the light in the muzzle got a bit brighter. When the first five orbs were in, the gravestone thing started to slowly face me. "Oookaaayyy… that's a bit creepy…" I looked towards the others. They were all just as worried as me, except for Sharena, who wore her curiosity on her sleeve. The ground started glowing around us, stone had turned into glass somehow. _Red, blue, green, and gray. But why?_ I kept loading Breidablik and once all twenty orbs were in, it looked to be at maximum capacity. "Hey, uh, if you guys haven't figured out already, I don't know what I'm doin'," I yelled to everybody. It was only mostly true, though. "Hey, Anna, I got an idea! Go stand where you were when I shot at that guy!"

"You mean when you summoned Virion," she asked. I nodded. "Okay then."

"I think I get what I'm supposed to do now. I think…" I stood ready, preparing for my second ever summon. "Hey, someone's gonna pop out of here! Like an actual human!"

"Yes, a Hero," Anna corrected.

I opened my mouth to speak, but a different thought entered my mind. "Virion, are you real?"

"Pardon," he said trying to hold back his surprise.

"You're not some soulless husk. So, that would mean that whoever I summon has things they need to do," I exclaimed to Anna.

Virion cleared his throat. "I don't mean to interrupt your thoughts, but I have no important matters to get back to."

"Good, good, but if whoever I summon has a problem of their own, I'm sendin' them back to wherever they came from, a'right?"

Anna let out a heavy breath. "I understand. I'm— I'm sure I would do the same in your place."

"Good. I mostly just want you to, like, explain everything like when we first met."

"Of course!"

"Okay, here we go…" I resumed my stance, aiming through the hole in the stone slab and at the red light beyond it. I pulled the trigger and the blinding light from before appeared, this time a light shade of red.

"Wah," a voice yelped. Feminine, high pitched, but not as bad as Sharena's, it almost had a chime to it. "Wh-wh-where am I?!"

I heard an intake of breath, but I think whoever was going to speak was cut off by Virion. " _Olivia_?!"

"V-Virion?! W-what's going on?"

At the time, I couldn't see what Olivia looked like, as I hadn't closed my eyes before I summoned her. They were obviously familiar with each other. Married? No, just friends, I thought.

"Olivia, dear, it is good to see you again! However, I'll have to leave your questions to the Commander."

"Anna," the new girl exclaimed. "You're here too!"

"Uh… Yes, but I'm not the same Anna you know," the familiar red-headed voice said. "Welcome to Askr." She proceeded to explain what she told me then finished with, "And that's Maxis, our summoner and tactician."

"Hello," I said cheerily. "I cannot see."

"You can't," the, now slightly visible, possibly pink haired girl questioned.

"No, but I'm sure it's temp— Oh _WOW_! You are scantily clad," I shouted, turning away from her.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just that— This is what I always wear, and—!"

"Hey," Anna shouted. "Olivia, it's okay. Maxis is just… new to all this."

"O-oh…" The girl still had a lot more questions, I could tell, but she decided to keep quiet.

"Uh… Wha—," I began, drawing a blank. "Oh yeah! Okay! Number two! Here we go!" I walked around the stone slab until I could see another light behind it. The new light was blue this time. I closed my eyes and fired.

"Eh," another feminine voice sounded out.

 _Did she just sound out 'eh'?_

"Where am I?"

 _Is this the exact same person? No this one's voice isn't as high…_ I opened my eyes and before me was another half-naked woman—no, three-fourths—with much longer sky blue hair and amber eyes. They were actually yellow, not a shade of brown. They almost seemed inhuman, as well. She held a lance firmly in her hands, unlike the last one who had a sword sheathed at her side. A small gold pendant hung from her neck.

"Maxis," Sharena loudly whispered in my ear as Anna helped the second woman get her bearings. "Do you know who you just summoned?!" She seemed really excited about it, but it was a little concerning in my opinion.

"Uh… No…?"

"That's Azura from the Worlds of Fates!"

"Okay, and?"

"She's royalty!" Sharena's eyes were glued to the woman. "She's also an amazing songstress!"

"Okay…? And…?"

"She'll be a great addition to the Order of Heroes! I just know it!"

"Okay, if you say so…" I waved back at Azura who was now standing next to Olivia. For what the pink-haired girl didn't have in clothing, she made up for it with jewelry—almost.

Anyways, the next light was green. Continuing in my current pattern, the next would be green, too. Then gray would be the final one.

"Hm?" A masculine sounding voice this time. The summoned man was just like Jagen from before. Though this one wore black armor, had longer hair, and a large scar on the side of his face. On top of that, he held an axe in his hand, and the horse he appeared on top of had more armor.

"Woah…," I breathed out.

"Sir Gunter," Azura called.

"Lady Azura." The man's voice was gravelly, yet oddly smooth, too.

"It's such a pleasant surprise to see you again!"

"Yes, we'll have to catch up later," he said, glancing at all of us. In those eyes I could see a veteran sizing up the potential threat around him. I don't think my goofy, childish smile was helping, but he was awesome—mostly in the formal way of awesome. I watched as he guided his horse to Azura. She explained what Anna had told her and Olivia to him and he sat there atop his horse, looking down at her in a way that was respectable towards her and yet still demanding respect for himself.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Maxis? Should we… Get back to summoning…," Sharena asked.

"Yeah, yeah…"

I prepared for the second green light and I heard a deep-voiced "Huh?" The man who emerged from the light could possibly be 'Hulk Hogan, 12th century edition'. Although, his hair was a darker blond, and his hair shorter. He had a mustache, a strong face, and what I would call an iron tiara. He didn't have much for armor, only shoulder pads and knee guards. His shirt was green, somewhere between sea foam and mint. Everything about him screamed 'dad' to me. "What's going on?"

As calmly as I could, I jammed my thumb in Anna's direction.

The final light was gray. The green lights both had axe users, so this one should have a bow user, right? Frankly, I'm glad I'm wrong.

There's a young "Huh?" Very young. The final Hero is no more than a child. Red hair, brown boots that didn't seem to have socks in them, and cute white dress. She gasps. "It's you again!"

I turn around, thinking she saw someone else. "Me?"

"You're Maxis, right?" Her voice alone is adorable. "The one who saved me?"

"Huh?"

"You are," She exclaimed. "You saved us from Veronica!"

"Who?"

"My sister, Minerva, Palla, and Catria!"

"Oh, good! Which one's your sister…?"

"Minerva!"

"Oh, okay. Wait, what's your name again?"

"I'm Maria!"

"Okay, well, go talk to Anna, I guess."

"Okay!"

"Okay, okay, okay," I muttered to myself. "Lots of 'okay's being tossed around…"


End file.
